I got another computer to put my PK-232 on, a Pentium board, but it looks like the reason I got it free was because the com ports are blown. It won't work with a mouse and I have tried 3. One does work a little but works very erratic. I think the ports are static zapped. I see that I can turn off the onboard ports in Bios, I plan to try and put in a Serial I/O card to try and bypass this problem. Has anybody had this problem and did this work? I hate to have to turn it into a dos machine, then I will be where I started a PK-232 just sitting there!TnxW7XLR6M DM26

I have had several boards lose their com ports due tonear hits of lightning coming through the modem....external modems I might add. Even with allthe 'safeguards' they still get blown on occasion. Ihave used cheap two port replacement cards without any problems. I had a source at ten bucks each but he went out of business.

Only one motherboard had shorted so badly the replacement card didn't work. Now my brother ishaving similar problems wth USB ports since almostevery addon he has is USB. Last time I was at hishome he had lost five broadband modems.....had themstacked in a display! Two printers, three mice, anda digital camera.

Thanks for the reply's. It did have same problem. I'm starting to think it wants a real serial mouse and I'm looking for one. I tried Two PS-2 mice with a serial adapter I had and It would not see them, it did see a Marble mouse on the adapter but it does not work right. I just read that the adapter's work ok to connect a serial mouse to a PS-2 board but not a PS-2 mouse to a Serial board so I will look for a old serial mouse. After playing around with this more and more I think this may be the true problem? Will post later after I find one.73

Before you give up and pronounce the Com Ports DEAD, you need to consult the documentation for the motherboard, and MAKE SURE the connectors you are using between the motherboard and DB-9 or DB-25 are correct! I have run into situations where the pin out on the motherboard is unusual, and naturally the Serial ports will appear dead! Also, be careful with adapters and mice or other pointing devices. If hey are not SPECIFICALLY designed to be PS-2/Serial compatible, and you use an adapter, you CAN cause damage to the pointing device, serial port, or PS-2 port. The fact that some serial devices seem to work, or at least partly so seems to indicate a problem with the Com port set up, not the hardware itself. Good luck.

The person making the point about the motherboard header to db9 flex cable/connectors (motherboard header to "port") is correct.

ALSO not just any serial mouse and just any ps2/serial adaptor will work. I have 3 or 4 different ps2/serial adaptors, and one day I sat down and "ohm'ed" em all out. I think there were at least THREE different wiring schemes. The mouses/mice, also, have to be "right" to work this way. BEST BET is to get a mouse/ps2 combo that you KNOW goes together.

You can test the ports with something like laplink, or an external modem and Hyperterminal.

Just a word on PS/2 to Serial mouse adapters...all are not made the same. Seems as manufacturers are not staying with protocall. Last time I bought a serial mouse, Rad Shack was the only place that had "true" serial mice.

I have a similar problem (using a serial to ps/2 miceadapter). But this is only a problem on some of the computers in my company, although all are running on windows 2000.With serial mice slowly getting replaced by ps/2 andUSB, I am forced to recycle old serial mice.It is a real nuisance. Somebody please help.And I am unwilling to spend money on a new computer just because of a mouse problem!!!

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